Happy 14th...

[fraulein_Maria]

To you Rachel. I love you, and miss you terribly. I know parents are a paine at your age, so i won't embarrass you by gushing more. :) You are always in my thoughts, always in my prayers, and i have faith that you are becoming a beautiful young woman.

Seek ye first, love ... that's the best advice i can give someone as smart, talented, and lovely as you.

Shma Yisroel! Adonai elohenu, Adonai echod! :)

therefore.....

[miriam]

To you Rachel. I love you, and miss you terribly. I know parents are a paine at your age, so i won't embarrass you by gushing more. :) You are always in my thoughts, always in my prayers, and i have faith that you are becoming a beautiful young woman.

Seek ye first, love ... that's the best advice i can give someone as smart, talented, and lovely as you.

Shma Yisroel! Adonai elohenu, Adonai echod! :)

therefore.....

When I was a teenager the Shema ment a lot to me. Of course I was not required to recite the Shema but every time I touched the mezuzah at our doorpost I silently said those words.

Maria, If you believe in those words and in what they stand for, I hope you will find as much comfort in the Shema as I did then.

Groeten, Miriam

[fraulein_Maria]

[QUOTE=miriam;16886]

Maria, If you believe in those words and in what they stand for, I hope you will find as much comfort in the Shema as I did then.

>>> i think i do. Its one of those prayers that fills my heart with joy everytime. You saw me post after, "therefore"...

because Rabbi Yeshuah has a teaching on the Shma that was theorized to have first come from Hillel's school of thought, and accepted as good...

even if he got into trouble later with the sanhedren ;)

the teaching is beautiful, and i'm sure its paraphrase can be found in some Rabbin's book somewhere, but here is the original....

.... "And therefore....

You shall love the Lord your Godde; with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Upon these two, the whole law is based, and the writings of the prophets aswell."

knowing that the intent of the law is love from the very beginning, unto the very end, and all points in-between, is wonderful armor against the lies of the fundimentalists.

"for the letter of the law killeth, but the spirit gives life".

of course, that begs the question...

if love fulfills the law, how then do you define love? Surely if its a Godly thing, it cannot be a matter of flesh, but of spirit.

Saul's answer can be found in 1st. Corinthian's 13. I don't like everything he writes, but i think he hit the nail on the head with that passage.

[EMW]

That's only the first part of the Shema, which instructs the people of Israel that the Lord is God, the Lord is one. The entire Shema found throughout the Torah in Deuteronomy and Numbers, summarizes that there is one God and you are to love him completely, follow and teach his commandments, reward for those that do and punishment for those who don't and identify yourselves through the tearing of the corners of your clothing.

However, if you were to summarize the entire Bible, Old and New Testament, it would indeed summarize to love God and to love everyone. Which is what I personally follow.

Emily




To you Rachel. I love you, and miss you terribly. I know parents are a paine at your age, so i won't embarrass you by gushing more. :) You are always in my thoughts, always in my prayers, and i have faith that you are becoming a beautiful young woman.

Seek ye first, love ... that's the best advice i can give someone as smart, talented, and lovely as you.

Shma Yisroel! Adonai elohenu, Adonai echod! :)

therefore.....

[EMW]

Aside from the meaning of the Shema -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR DAUGHTER RACHEL!!!

Hugs,

Emily

[melonade]

Hope you've been having a happy 14'th birthday.
(though I'm a bit confused about the rest)

[fraulein_Maria]

[QUOTE=EMW;16889]Aside from the meaning of the Shema -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR DAUGHTER RACHEL!!!


>>> thanks Miriam, Emily, JOS and Mel :) love you all! :)